Portret van een onbekende vrouw 1890 - 1900

Curator: Before us is a photograph titled "Portret van een onbekende vrouw" by Willem Witsen, created between 1890 and 1900. The medium is gelatin silver print. Editor: It's quite striking, even austere. The lighting is very focused, creating deep shadows. I immediately think of early portrait photography's inherent class associations, the labor, and accessibility surrounding image creation. Curator: That's interesting. Considering the time it was made, the sitter’s social standing becomes a significant question. It might seem simple, but portraiture opened avenues for self-representation and redefined societal status, especially for women of the period. It's crucial to understand these images in the context of the growing visibility of women at the turn of the century. Editor: And thinking about a gelatin silver print, it becomes so immediate and seemingly simple. But it marks the advent of reproducible imagery and the role that silver plays economically and industrially at that time, influencing how people understood value. How does that influence her perception and our understanding of who she is? Curator: Precisely. There’s a compelling contrast. This anonymous woman, probably from a privileged background to be able to afford a portrait of her, seems to be captured with a certain rawness, a realism that defies idealised representations of femininity prevalent then. And, consider how she wants to be viewed through a historical lens. Editor: So it does bring us back to materials. The final print isn’t about ethereal beauty, it is quite literally built out of base elements and their cost that both dictate the composition and are then embedded with status and power. You know, photography as industry as much as photography as art. Curator: Definitely. It’s the convergence of artistic intent, socio-economic factors, and individual identity. Exploring this artwork through a multilayered lens opens up critical discussions about the portrayal of women and their access to self-representation at this crucial juncture in history. Editor: I leave this viewing of this woman thinking more about the chemical, material cost to display her and by whom. Curator: And how the image participates in ongoing conversations about identity, access, and visibility.